Petition to Stop a Grey Squirrel Cull

Here are some tips to help you create a petition against a cull in your area:

  • You can create a free petition online, for example at change.org  
  • Keep the text of the petition short, to the point and easy to understand, as people don’t always have a lot of time. We have some suggested wording below. 
  • Be polite. People will be put off by rude or offensive petitions, even if they’re sympathetic to the goals you’re trying to achieve.  
  • Ask someone to spellcheck and proofread it or send it to us and we’ll help. 
  • Share your petition as widely as possible with friends and family and in as many online groups as you can. 
  • You could add a picture you have taken of a grey squirrel in your area. If you don’t have any, there are websites which offer royalty-free pictures, such as Pixabay   

Here is some suggested wording for your petition (please amend in line with the information you have): 

Title of Petition: Stop [Name of organisation]’s plans to Cull Grey Squirrels!

Wording: Please help us oppose [whose] plans to cull squirrels at [location].

Squirrels can strip tree bark and are often blamed for tree damage, but this will not kill the vast majority of trees. In fact, squirrels play a part in tree planting by burying acorns in the ground. There is also little evidence to suggest that culling grey squirrels is the best way to conserve red squirrels.

Methods used to cull squirrels, such as trapping, shooting or bludgeoning them to death inside a sack, are cruel and can cause terrible suffering. Poisons typically cause animals to die from internal bleeding, which can take several days. During this time the animals will remain conscious and experience symptoms such as pain, thirst, dizziness and fear.

As well as being cruel, killing squirrels does not work, so it is a waste of resources. If there is a good source of food in an area and the environment remains attractive, more squirrels will quickly move into the area to replace those who have been killed.

If squirrels are causing damage in gardens or homes or other buildings, there are many cost-effective humane alternatives to culling. These include blocking access to roof spaces and buildings and using sonic repellents.

I have emailed [who] with details of humane, non-lethal alternatives to culling. Please contact them too at [add email] and share this petition as widely as possible.

Thank you.

Add other details if you have them, for example, when the cull is likely to take place, if you know what methods they will be using, how many animals are likely to be targeted, do children and others enjoy watching the squirrels. Â